July Focus on Business Newsletter

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July 2022 Issue

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The Workforce Strategies Grant

by Amanda MacDonald - [email protected]

A new stream of funding was announced on June 30th as part of the Province's Alberta at Work initiative (a collection of strategic investments to help Albertans develop new skills and grow their careers). Organizations could receive up to $1.5 million through Workforce Strategies grants for projects that help Alberta workers develop the necessary skills to meet workforce needs and build the capacity of industry, employers and regions to attract, develop and retain workers. There is a total of $8 million in funding available through the grants and there are 3 streams: Skills Development, Regional Employer-Focused, and Industry Stream. Projects can be up to 36 months long and funding ranges from $50,000 to $1.5 million.

To be eligible for a Workforce Strategies grant, organizations must have a minimum of two years’ experience related to one of the following streams they apply under:

Skills Development Stream supports the re-skilling of unemployed Albertans by providing training and/or services resulting in new skills development and employment.
Regional and Employer-focused Stream supports regional and employer-led projects that address regional workforce challenges.
Industry-focused Stream supports industry-led projects that address provincial workforce needs.

Check the related webpage for more information on eligibility and application requirements: https://www.alberta.ca/workforce-strategies-grants.aspx

Manufacturing & Skilled Trade Hiring Fair - Save the Date!

by Amanda MacDonald - [email protected]

The City of St. Albert along with local partners Northern Alberta Business Incubator, St. Albert Chamber of Commerce, and St. Albert Further Education have launched a workforce development support initiative that will bring a series of impactful industry hiring fairs and retention strategies to employers in St. Albert. The program was made possible with the support of the Government of Alberta through the Labour Market Partnership Program.

The Manufacturing & Skilled Trades Jobs Fair will take place September 8th, providing opportunities for local employers in this industry to:

Connect with growing skilled workforce and fill positions now or in the future;
Gain valuable information on best practices in hiring within the manufacturing/skilled trades industry from HR professionals;
Develop retention strategies and optimize utilization of Alberts workforce labour programs;
Increase exposure & company profile within the region to attract job seekers.
Network with local industry;

To pre-register your company for the Manufacturing & Skilled Trade Hiring Fair and to have your logo on marketing material sent out to targeted workforce groups, please email “Registration” to [email protected] and a member of our team will reach out to you to confirm.

2022-2025 Council Strategic Plan

by Monty Killoh - [email protected]

St. Albert’s City Council has recently approved their 2022-25 Council Strategic Plan. The Plan describes Council’s areas of focus during their term and provides specific direction for Administration.

Two of the key strategic priorities most relevant to the business community are as follows:

Economic Prosperity

Support an investment positive environment that encourages economic growth and the development of new and existing sectors.

Expand opportunities for employment and economic growth with land development that attracts a mix of industries and businesses. This strategy includes advancing the development of Lakeview Business District and completing plans for the recently annexed lands.

Downtown Vibrancy

Foster a downtown where people come to live, gather, celebrate, shop and do business.

Support review and planning for the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan (DARP).
Promote our heritage, arts and culture by providing a variety of community events and gathering places that build connections and bring people together downtown. This strategy includes advancing planning for the development of Millennium Park.
Facilitate and support the downtown business community to leverage collaborative opportunities and promote businesses that help create a vibrant downtown. This strategy includes supporting the creation of a Business Improvement Area.

The next steps for this plan are for the City’s Administration to develop a Corporate Business Plan (2022-2025), which will outline how Council’s Strategic Plan will be operationalized. The Corporate Business Plan will be finalized this summer and presented to Council in August.

Find out more about the Strategic Plan by visiting the related webpage: https://stalbert.ca/cosa/leadership/strategic-plan/

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The Arden Plaza Series Returns for 2022

by Christian Benson - [email protected]

Music returns to the St. Albert City Hall for the Arden Plaza Series. For nine consecutive weeks, a wide range of musical artists perform on Thursday nights, beginning July 7th running to September 1st.

Artists performances for the 2022 Plaza Series include: Diyet & The Love Soldiers (July 7th), Maddie Storvold & The Misery Mountain Boys (July 14th), Ann Vriend & Jory Kinjo (July 21st), Cristian de al Luna (July 28th) and more.

These outdoor concerts are the perfect opportunity to enjoy summer nights in St. Albert. Consider making it a date night, by pairing the Plaza Series concerts with shopping and dining in the downtown Perron district.

Find new downtown favorites on the City of St. Albert Downtown Directory website:

https://directory.stalbert.ca/downtown/

Free legal resources for new business ventures

by Amanda MacDonald - [email protected]

River City Venture Legal Services Centre will be hosting a Speaker Series providing free legal information for entrepreneurs and change-markets in the greater Edmonton area. The River City Venture Legal Services Centre is a student-run legal clinic that provides free legal information to entrepreneurs in the Edmonton region (including St. Albert) with the support of advisors and lawyer mentors.

The Centre provides young businesses with free information and students with opportunities to apply their legal knowledge in real-life situations. The services provided focus on legal problems facing young ventures ranging from incorporation to employment contracts.

The kick-off event of the River City Venture Clinic is on July 13 at 12pm MT online.

You can Register Here to attend the speaker series event and access free legal support.

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Spotlight on Business...Pizza Garage

by Amanda MacDonald - [email protected]

Nestled in the beautiful community of Forest Lawn, right off of Sir Winston Churchill Avenue, Pizza Garage opened it’s St. Albert location in May 2022 and are serving up all your favorite slices. They specialize in Detroit and NY style pizzas using only the best ingredients. Additional to their multi-award winning pizza they are rolling out mouth watering Italian sandwiches, and for dessert a feature house-made gelato.

When it came to opening up a St. Albert location, local residents & husband and wife team Shane & Estela Oates wanted to set up shop right in their own community. “We wanted to be in St. Albert from the get-go and this location was perfect for us” says Shane. The commercial area in Forest Lawn is neighboring several schools, and students are become regular repeat customers during lunch hour. The proximity has created great job opportunities for students. “ We embrace our community and we embrace the students, and we have employed them to work in the shop”.

Being members of the St. Albert community Estela & Shane are also giving back to the community through food. In the early stages of creating a meal share program Pizza Garage aims to take a “slice” out of hunger. “Slice out hunger” will enable customers to purchase a slice or whole a pie for someone in need. Pizza Garage will work with local schools and programs to ensure pizzas are picked up and distributed to those in need.

Shane recommends the “Nice to Meat you Pizza” for dinner; A Detroit style pizza with cheese, sauce, handmade meatballs, Italian sausage, pepperoni, red onion, and piped ricotta cheese and basil on top. Other favorites are the La Ferrari and the Angry Hawaiian. There are many other flavors to choose from on their website.

Check out Pizza Garage website to browse their menu, and order online or call 825-223-6927 to pre-order your pizza for pick up and dinner is ready to serve.

Pizza Garage

Unit 108, Fairview Blvd St. Albert

https://pizzagarage.ca/

825- 223-6927

Pizza Garage Facebook page

Pizza Garage Instagram

The Spotlight on Business is a monthly feature wherein we highlight a local business and learn more about what they do and how they positively contribute to the identity and economy of St. Albert. If you, or someone you know, would like to be featured in a future issue, please contact [email protected] with a brief description of the organization.

New Businesses in St. Albert

Commercial/Industrial Businesses

Bambini

780-901-3826

910, 880 St Albert Trail

Daycare and before and after school care